Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench

Jamal Hinton (born 1999)[1] and Wanda Dench (born 1956 or 1957),[2] the latter referred to as Thanksgiving Grandma,[3] are friends who went viral in 2016. Dench, a grandmother from the U.S. state of Arizona, accidentally texted an invitation for Thanksgiving dinner to the wrong number. The text was received by Hinton, then a 16-year-old highschooler at Desert Vista High School. The two had never met previously.[1] Hinton jokingly accepted the invitation, which started an annual tradition of the two celebrating the holiday together.

Background and first Thanksgiving

In 2016, Wanda Dench sent a group text to her family members to invite them to dinner on Thanksgiving. She was not informed that her grandson's number had changed. Jamal Hinton had recently been assigned this number, and as a result, was included in the invitation.[4]

Hinton asked who the sender was, and Dench replied that it was his grandmother. Hinton was skeptical and asked for a picture of Dench, which confirmed their non-relation. Dench reaffirmed the invitation after Hinton replied, "Can I still get a plate tho?".[4] Hinton published the screenshots of the conversation on Twitter, where it was shared over 200,000 times that week. Dench's phone number was unobscured, and she received about 600 additional texts from strangers.[5]

Hinton accepted the invitation, and joined Dench's family for Thanksgiving dinner that year.[5] The duo quickly became friends, and affirmed there was no generational gap or awkward moments.[6] Dench explained that her father was in the military, as was her husband. Because she had to frequently move, she was comfortable getting to know strangers.[7] Hinton, a young black man, later stated that his initial friendship with Dench, an older white woman, "offered a holiday reprieve" from a racially tense election year.[3]

Later celebrations (2017–present)

The two began regular correspondence, with Dench offering life and career advice. Hinton, along with his girlfriend, again attended Thanksgiving dinner with Dench's family in 2017.[8] The tradition continued in 2018.[7] In 2019, dinner was hosted by Hinton's family for the first time.[9]

In April 2020, Wanda's husband Lonnie died from COVID-19. There was an outpouring of support, with video messages sent to the family from around the world.[10] The Thanksgiving tradition continued as a small, socially distanced gathering before the holiday that year.[3] That December, Hinton and Dench raffled off a PlayStation 5 and an opportunity to join them for dinner.[11]

In 2021, the two again met for Thanksgiving dinner. It was announced in December that Netflix was producing a movie about their story, titled "The Thanksgiving Text". The screenplay is to be written by Abdul Williams.[12] In a joint statement, Hinton and Dench said that they hope the film will "inspire more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn't ordinarily make".[13]

In 2022, the tradition continued. It was preceded by Dench getting her first tattoo, with Hinton accompanying her to the appointment.[14] The two launched a black water business that year.[15]

In 2023, Hinton and Dench appeared as a team to compete on the TBS game show The Cube.[16][17] The eighth annual Thanksgiving dinner was sponsored by Airbnb, with the promotion allowing for two selected winners to stay in Dench's home and join them for the holiday.[18] They were joined on the holiday by one guest.[19]

In October 2024, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dench made a statement that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.[20] Because of her treatment, she was unable to join Hinton in-person for Thanksgiving. The two opted to video call instead.[21]

In November 2025, Hinton and Dench announced a partnership with canned vegetable company Green Giant for their 10th Thanksgiving via Hinton's X account.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b Minutaglio, Rose (17 November 2016). "Arizona Grandma Invites Wrong Teen to Thanksgiving". People. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  2. ^ O'Kane, Caitlin (23 November 2022). "Viral friends Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton are getting together for Thanksgiving for the 7th year in a row. They hang out other times, too — like when she got a tattoo". CBS News. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Fazio, Marie (21 November 2020). "An Unlikely Thanksgiving Tradition Carries On". New York Times. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b White, Kayla (16 November 2016). "Phoenix teen's accidental Thanksgiving invite goes viral". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b Jeong, Yihyun (24 November 2016). "Grandma's accidental Thanksgiving invite makes for memorable meal". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  6. ^ Elassar, Alaa (22 November 2020). "A bittersweet Thanksgiving for the grandmother and teenager who met via an accidental text in 2016". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Arizona grandmother and teen connected by accidental text spend 3rd Thanksgiving together". ABC News. 25 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. ^ Klein, Allison (27 November 2017). "This grandma mistakenly texted a stranger inviting him for Thanksgiving. Now the teen is a regular at her table". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  9. ^ Pelletiere, Nicole (27 November 2019). "Grandma who texted wrong teen for Thanksgiving shared 4th holiday with him". ABC News. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  10. ^ Knowles, Hannah (10 April 2020). "Grandmother famous for accidentally inviting teen to Thanksgiving loses husband to covid-19". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Mesa pair that went viral for Thanksgiving dinner, raffling off an invite". 12news. 24 December 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  12. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (2 December 2021). "Netflix Making Movie About Grandma Who Accidentally Invited a Stranger to Thanksgiving Dinner (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  13. ^ Thomas, Megan (3 December 2021). "Netflix developing a movie based on friendship that started from an accidental Thanksgiving invite". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  14. ^ Page, Sydney (23 November 2022). "Thanksgiving tradition started by mistaken text lives on for a seventh year". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Grandmother and stranger she accidentally texted spend 7th Thanksgiving together". Today. 23 November 2022. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  16. ^ Caplan, Anna Lazarus (3 June 2023). "'Thanksgiving Grandma' Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton Reunite to Compete for $250K on 'The Cube' (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  17. ^ "The Thanksgiving Grandma". TBS. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  18. ^ Bloch, Emily (14 November 2023). "They went viral for their Thanksgiving dinner eight years ago. Now they're inviting you". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  19. ^ Heller, Corinne (23 November 2023). "Thanksgiving Grandma Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton Reunite for Holiday for 8th Year". E! Online. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  20. ^ Werner, Kaleigh (October 16, 2024). "Grandmother famed for inviting stranger to Thanksgiving diagnosed with breast cancer". The Independent. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  21. ^ Ragas, Lindsey (28 November 2024). "Wanda and Jamal: Arizona duo brought together due to wrong Thanksgiving text continue holiday tradition". FOX 10 Phoenix. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  22. ^ Hinton, Jamal (5 November 2025). "Jamal Hinton on X". X.com. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
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